Wellywood
Encyclopedia
Wellywood is an informal name for the city of Wellington
, New Zealand
. The name - a conflation of Wellington and Hollywood
- is a reference to the film production business established in the city by The Lord of the Rings
film director Sir Peter Jackson, and Wellington-based special effects companies Weta Workshop
and Weta Digital
. The businesses operate a number of film-related facilities in the Wellington suburb of Miramar
.
In March 2010, the Wellington Airport
company announced plans to erect a Hollywood-style sign
Wellywood on a hillside next to the Miramar cutting. After the airport considered a range of alternatives, it was announced in May 2011 that the Wellywood sign would be going ahead. However this was met with mounting criticism, and on June 1, 2011 it was announced that a panel would be convened to consider alternative sign options.
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The name - a conflation of Wellington and Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
- is a reference to the film production business established in the city by The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
film director Sir Peter Jackson, and Wellington-based special effects companies Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop is a special effects and prop company based in Miramar, New Zealand, producing effects for television and film.Founded in 1987 by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger as RT Effects, Weta Workshop has produced creatures and makeup effects for the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
and Weta Digital
Weta Digital
Weta Digital is a digital visual effects company based in Wellington, New Zealand. It was founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk in 1993 to produce the digital special effects for Heavenly Creatures. In 2007 Weta Digital’s Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, Joe Letteri, was...
. The businesses operate a number of film-related facilities in the Wellington suburb of Miramar
Miramar, New Zealand
Miramar is a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand, south-east of the city centre. It is on the Miramar Peninsula, directly east of the isthmus of Rongotai, the site of Wellington International Airport.-History:...
.
In March 2010, the Wellington Airport
Wellington International Airport
Wellington International Airport is an international airport located in the suburb of Rongotai in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It is a secondary hub and focus city for Air New Zealand and its subsidiaries...
company announced plans to erect a Hollywood-style sign
Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign is a landmark and American cultural icon in the Hollywood Hills area of Mount Lee, Santa Monica Mountains, in Los Angeles, California. The sign spells out the name of the area in and white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition...
Wellywood on a hillside next to the Miramar cutting. After the airport considered a range of alternatives, it was announced in May 2011 that the Wellywood sign would be going ahead. However this was met with mounting criticism, and on June 1, 2011 it was announced that a panel would be convened to consider alternative sign options.
See also
- List of Hollywood-inspired nicknames
- Cinema of New ZealandCinema of New ZealandNew Zealand cinema, can refer to films made by New Zealand-based production companies in New Zealand. However, it may also refer to films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries...
- Park Road PostPark Road PostPark Road Post is a 10,200 m² motion picture post production facility, located in Miramar, New Zealand, a suburb of Wellington. Formerly the state-owned National Film Unit, the new facility was renamed Park Road Post upon completion in 2005...
- Weta DigitalWeta DigitalWeta Digital is a digital visual effects company based in Wellington, New Zealand. It was founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk in 1993 to produce the digital special effects for Heavenly Creatures. In 2007 Weta Digital’s Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, Joe Letteri, was...
External links
- Joint Wellington regional initiative to support Wellywood
- Holding back Wellywood Massey UniversityMassey UniversityMassey University is one of New Zealand's largest universities with approximately 36,000 students, 20,000 of whom are extramural students.The University has campuses in Palmerston North , Wellington and Auckland . Massey offers most of its degrees extramurally within New Zealand and internationally...
news article - Welcome to Wellywood Article on the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
- Original Anti-Wellywood Facebook page
- Wellywood Sign Generator
- Wellingtonians Against the Wellywood Sign Facebook page created May 2011